Derek Jeter unveils MLB The Show cover, reveals thong secret on 'Tonight Show'
New York Yankees Captain Derek Jeter will have to relinquish his duties to Aaron Judge this season (crazy), but despite his time away from the playing field, he still remains the most iconic Yankee of the modern era.
Fittingly, he revealed on "The Tonight Show" on Wednesday night that he's got a new bit of iconography up his sleeve.
Miami Marlins ... center fielder (?) Jazz Chisholm was revealed as MLB The Show 23's primary cover boy this week, and his tenure was greeted with scorn. After all, Jazz is electric, but his numbers don't stack up with, say, Julio Rodriguez. Advanced metrics hate him. Plus ... the Marlins?
Many rebutted these assertions by playing devil's advocate. "Has anyone ever bought a game for the cover?" they asked derisively.
Wednesday night, Jeter gave that rhetorical question a firm "YES" by revealing that he'll be gracing a collector's edition cover of the game as well. I don't game, but that'll look good on my mantle. Best $60 paperweight I've ever put in my cart, reconsidered, reconsidered, then bought three of just in case.
Yankees Captain Derek Jeter brought back Jason Giambi's Golden Thong on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show
Perhaps Chisholm will eventually change the game the way he wishes to -- by having visible fun every time he rounds the bases or guns down a bystander -- but, at this point, Jeter's got him beat. After all, all eyes were on him for an entire generation of fandom across the game, the effects of which still linger today.
It's also pretty ironic that Jeet just upstaged a Marlin. Power of the Pinstripes, folks. He did say he'd be around a lot more often at last fall's Jeter Day...
Of course, Jeter wasn't only on Fallon to promote the game cover. He was also there to participate in one of the host's trademark games, completely stumping both Fallon and innocent bystander Rita Ora with the story of how he once wore a gold thong in front of thousands of people.
Probably close to 50,000, actually. And he did it a whole bunch of times. True story.
Though Jeter didn't namedrop his "teammate" in front of a stunned Ora, Yankee fans know he's referring to Jason Giambi's slump buster. It worked for a while ... until he didn't. Based on the way that season wrapped, you have to assume Giambi's thong got lost somewhere along the way. Kinda wish Rita Orta had pressed him on that. So it goes.
The MLB The Show cover will be out March 24, though no word yet on whether there'll be a separate Gold Thong Edition that boosts every Yankee's batting attributes.